Nation in Brief | NATIONWIDE

Chain opts for milk free of hormone

One of the nation's largest retail grocery chains has announced plans to switch to milk free of synthetic hormones.

The announcement from Kroger Co. is a blow to Monsanto Co., which already had been reducing inventory of its milk production-boosting hormone as Starbucks Coffee Co. and other retailers rejected it.

Monsanto, based in suburban St. Louis, markets the hormone rBST, or recombinant bovine somatotropin, under the brand name Posilac. The Food and Drug Administration and the company contend that the hormone is safe.

Kroger, based in Cincinnati, said consumer preference, not safety concerns, prompted its decision.